BatmanTMNT: The Silent Crime Wave
by Darkknight37
Summary: After a series of robberies in various cities, Batman traces what little evidence he finds to New York, where rumors of suspicious assailants are his only lead.
1. Rage

New York is so much different than Gotham.

True, they both have similar architecture, share important roles in American history, and they even have their own personalities. For me, the similarities stop there. New York is given so much these days, which is what has brought it back from the brink of crime and despair that takes residence in Gotham everyday. New York is run by crime families, but even they cannot compete with the muscle corporations bring in with their money and trumping political influence.

Unlike Gotham, New York is a loved and wanted city by the people in this country. Government funding has been halted on so many important projects in Gotham to ensure New York continues to grow commercially and politically. I know, I've seen the books.

I hate New York.

However, the people of this city aren't to blame for what the city has become. So many people are stepped on here, much like Gotham, but perhaps at an even higher number. To make it worse, I wonder if those people even understand how much they're short-changed. That's the "magic" of this city, I suppose. To love it so much, you don't even care how bad you've got it. As long as your baseball team wins every year, what's the point of having a good life?

These people wouldn't last a day in Gotham.

Maybe I'm being unfair. It took me so long to understand the people of Gotham when I was sure I knew them from top to bottom. Their unpredictable nature became so routine to me over time, how could I even judge people of another city? Maybe my bitterness is lies within the fact that if this country could, it would declare Gotham irrelevant and press on with more important towns that are already overindulged.

Or maybe I'm thinking of all of this because I'm not finding any follow-up leads whatsoever.

I'm tracking a lead back to this city that stem to a series of robberies in Gotham, Metropolis and Boston. Wayne Tech, LexCorp and other research facilities were the targets. Each company indicate that specific equipment was taken from their labs, with even potentially more valuable equipment being left behind. What most of these labs don't realize is that the stolen equipment from each robbery are key components in creating temporal disruptors. I've experimented with the equipment myself, yielding some early results. However, the process is too unstable at this point, with the risk of a horrific incident far to great for me to continue.

That's why I've taken the necessary time away from Gotham.

I could have included others in on this case, but the methods used in the robberies are far too familiar for me to need extensive muscle on this case. More importantly, I need to get this job done with as little attention as possible.

What I've traced back to New York are two different things:

First, ten months ago, the League responded to temporal disturbance directly rooted in Manhattan. More specifically, the tower owned and operated by a business partner of Bruce Wayne's on numerous occaisions, Max Winters, who himself disappeared that night. Reports indicate that the temporal field generated caused a series of unexplainable events in the surround area involving unidentifiable creatures of various sizes. There were prior reports of creatures showing up around the city before the incident, which I assume are related.

Second, there have been reports over the last five years indicating heavy crime activity involving mysterious assailants who are rumored to be responsible for stolen and damaged property. When you look at the evidence, it clearly indicates that these assailants are using ninja tactics. There were reports of hooded individuals gathering at ground zero the night Max Winters disappeared. Even some reports claiming that some form of battle took place involving other individuals who had not been identified.

There are also rumors of even more mysterious individuals who have been operating as vigilantes, opposing the silent crime wave that has unnoticably taken hold of New York's underground.

Information on these vigilantes up to this point remains unproven. However, proof is everything you don't see. Police reports from five years ago indicate mass-arrests one early hour night in the middle of Brooklyn. The reports say that many of the arrested individuals were dressed in dark, martial arts-styled clothing with masks and weapons.

These arrests lead to the seizing of an abandoned factory that was confirmed to be the headquarters of the group responsible for the series of crimes that had hit the city. The factory contained training and weapons facilities located in one of the warehouses by the factory, a stadium-style arena in another warehouse, and a recreational facility. The police were also able to recover over a hundred million dollars of stolen goods, ranging from electronics to tobacco products.

There was a definitive operation taking place in New York, but what they thought was over merely laid dormant.

Tonight, I crouch on the ledge of an old apartment building's roof, listening to the city below me. The area of this town that is heavily Japanese influenced isn't giving up any leads. All I've been able to do is stop a few small crimes while here, which have nothing to do with...

I turn around immediately and still crouched as I hear a footstep directly behind me. Something was able to get close enough to me without making a sound, until it wanted to let me know it was there.

"Well, well", it says to me in the shadow of a chimney. "You're obviously new to town."

Whoever it is, he's staying in the shadows deliberately. By the ledge, I'm far more visible than he is, which is something that is making me angry. It's been a long time since someone's been able to get this close to me without me knowing.

"I'm in here on business", I say while standing up straight, letting my cape cover my body.

"Oh really", it says back to me with a strong Brooklyn accent. "Be sure to drop your card at Luigi's on your way out for a free lunch."

I don't respond to that comment as this person makes an obvious huff with his breath. I remain still, waiting to see if he makes a move from the shadows.

"Eh, look pal", he continues. "It's late, and I don't wanna bash some costumed freak before I hit the hay. Whaddya say you take your caped butt offa this roof and back to where you came from, huh?"

I don't do anything.

"Seriously, why do I get the looney toons", he says starting to walk out of the shadow. "Look guy, I ain't got time for rooftop mimes, ok?"

I see him now, and what I've heard about this town in the past few years are confirmed. Mutated reptiles have been seen throughout the city, inciting gang riots and performing vigilante acts. This one is close to six feet tall and has a red mask over his green face.

"I'll leave when I'm done here", I say again. "...Turtle."

I wonder if by stressing the fact that he's a turtle will make him think I don't take him seriously. It works tenfold as walks up to me quickly,grabbing at my cape that is draped over me with both hands.

"Look friend, don't think for a second that I won't mop this rooftop with your pointy-head and cute cape."

He's using his full physical force to tug at me. His strength is normal despite his mutation. He was able to get close to me without notice, letting me know he's well skilled. I think a lead actually found me for a change. I quickly slap both of his hand off of me and move my face closer to his with a glare.

"I'll. Leave. When. I'm. Ready."

I really don't have time for this myself, but this is probably the only lead I'm going to get tonight, and I hate ending patrols with nothing to show for. He continues to stare back, amused that I even laid my hands on him for a second.

"You know something, freak?" he says as his eyes begin to shake with rage. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

He takes a swing at me that I easily block. It was too telegraphed, and he knows it. He tries an obviously more deceptive move, hurling his right knee at me in hopes I'd grab it and he could spring up with is other one. Instead, I slap down both knee strikes and take a knee strike of my own to his midsection. It hits its mark as I wondered if I could find a soft spot on his torso. He is stunned as I stand in front of him motionless again, not dropping a follow up blow.

"N...not bad, bat", he coughs. "I think this night just got better."

He lunges at me with a straight kick out of nowhere. it catches my shoulder as I tried to get out of the way. The forces turns my body enough for him spin a back elbow at my stomach, hitting his mark perfectly. I'm able to regain quickly and respond with a kick of my own to his side as he tries to dodge. I barely catch him, but get him squarely with a roundhouse back kick to his face. I drop him momentarily as he continues to talk.

"Oooo, now you're dead!"

He springs up from the ground onto his feet and pulls out two sais from his belt. His hand-to-hand technique is very good, but limited by his own rage. His eyes look more in control with his blades in his hand. This may get a bit more difficult.

"Gotta say, bat", he says readying himself. "I wasn't expecting something this good."

He doesn't wait for me to say anything as he whirls his sais in his hands and charges at me. I go into defense-mode by dodging, blocking and sliding away from his barrage of attacks. He mixes his weapon strikes with kicks and elbow attacks. Through his freestyle offense and rage, I finally start to recognize a familiar pattern. He doesn't let his skill take command of this fight as it easily could, despite how well trained he obviously is.

He continues some more, then suddenly stops when he realizes I'm staying in defense-mode.

"What happened, bat", he asks in a taunting tone. "Two seconds ago, you had me impressed."

He comes at me again, only to have my gauntlets fling away his sais and I headbutt him directly in his face. He drops to the ground again, on his large shell. I hurt him with that attack, especially since my cowl is reinforced in that area to deliver an effective head butt. I waited for his impatience to take over his ability, and it paid off. If he was more focused, it would not have been this easy.

"Oh that's fair", he says now holding the middle part of his face with his hands. "Can you get any cheaper?"

He knows I'm not going after him while on the ground, or he wouldn't drop his guard so much. I back away from him to give him room to stand up.

"It's effective", I say back.

He laughs again, picking himself off of the ground.

"I bet", he says. "If I had a nose, I'd have this face all over again."

"Who are you?" I ask him finally.

"What was that?" he asks pretending to be shocked and believing he is. "Are you coming to our city and asking ME who I am? You got some nerve, bat."

He walks closer to me. staring directly into my face.

"We heard about you, freak", he says. "We had you pegged the second you stepped foot in the Apple. We don't need your problems here and we don't need you trying to get involved in ours."

We?

He approaches again, but a series of tiny daggers fills the ground between our feet. We both look up to the slightly taller building next to us, and see a total of eight masked individuals, and one woman. The woman steps foward onto the building's ledge above us and points at the turtle.

"Terrific", the turtles says annoyed. "The freaks really do come out at night..."

"We have come to declare war on you, turtle", the woman says. "The pact we held is no longer recognized by the Foot Clan, and you are declared enemies once again."

The Foot Clan...

"Miss us that much, huh lady?" the turtle says to her. "You guys stay up there for a moment while I take care this pointy..."

The woman notices me finally, and suddenly the confident look on her face is just about scrambled as her eyes shake with disbelief.

"Wh...what are you doing here?"

Her disbelief is suddenly replaced with eyes full of rage. She orders her men to remain where they are with a hand gesture, then jumps down onto the roof with us. She walks towards me, eyes declaring her hatred for me. I know her somehow, or does she have other business with me that I'm unaware of?

"You killed my brother, Batman", she says reaching for the sword behind her back. "Now, I will have my revenge..."

The turtle jumps between us before she gets within ten feet of me. He's still livid with what happened a few moments ago with me, obviously not willing to let her get her hands on me.

"Look Karai, this guy's been in town for two minutes and busted my noggin' on this roof. No way you getting a first crack at'im"

Karai?

I...I remember now.

"No one will deny me vengeance, turtle", she says. "Now begone, our business is not with you just yet."

The turtle looks back at me for a moment, then back to her as a smile was starting to grow on his face. The woman is definitely focused on me, and I think the turtle is amused by this.

"Ok, lady", he says moving out of her way and leaning on the roof entrance door. "I'd like to see what you got."

She does not acknowledge him when he leaves her view. Her eyes are boiling over now, and her men remain on the roof next to us.

I have trained for many years attempting to be like oniisama", she says bringing her sword in front of her with one hand. "You ridicule his life and memory by dawning a ridiculous visage and using the same teachings against our kind. Every breath you take is an insult to his honor."

"Your brother dishonored you by becoming a thief, Karai", I say while remaining statuesque. "Keyodai Ken was nothing more than a man who chose to gain through the loss of others. He dishonored his teachings by using them for his own ends."

"Thief or no thief, he was still my brother", she says now holding the katana with both hands. "And you will die in the name of his honor!"

She lunges at me with a predictable speed, given her body type and estimated ability. The humming of the katana blade surrounds me as she attacks me with a barrage I haven't experienced in a long time. Like that turtle, who seems to be watching us with a bit of enjoyment on his face, she is limited by her rage.

"Watch out, K", he shouts. "This one'll bite you if you're not careful

She tries to hold on to her patience, but it begins to fail she she is still unable to connect with any of her katana attacks. After a few more moments, her attacks become less and less disciplined as fatigue sets in. She comes in closer as I allow her to bring her sword down at me, which enables me to use my gauntlets again tonight to disarm an attacker.

Her katana is flung to the opposite side of the building, too far out of her reach as I wait for her next attack. She stares at me, breathing heavily as the heavy condensation of the early fall morning is visible. She spent herself recklessly with those attacks, and she knows it. She knows that she should have adjusted her attack the second she knew it wasn't working. The turtle even managed to figure that out, who starts to applaud.

"Good stuff, guys", he says. "Now let's get this bad episode of Kung-Fu Theater off this roof and back to where..."

"ATTACK!"

Karai motions for her men to come down from their positions, but they hesitate and do not move. One among them begins to speak.

"But Karai, we were instructed only to bring the message to the turtles, not attack them."

She looks back up at them, her anger still present. From what I can tell, they were sent as messengers by someone. Perhaps the person behind the thefts. I need answers.

"Attack the bat!"

She turns back at me, only to see the side of my hand come at her, connecting with the side of her neck. She's out the second I struck the pressure point, and I catch her limp body before it hits the ground.

"He has Karai", the same ninja says. "Ninja, attack!"

They all leap down at me, as the turtle jumps out of the way and onto one of the fans blowing on the roof. The ninjas surround me, all in the same black outfit, bearing the same Kanji lettering on the bandannas around their brows. I put Karai down and move towards them. These have to be the ninjas responsible, and it's my own blasted fault for letting this situation get out of hand. I should not have wasted as much time as I did on the turtle. I needed to gather intel on the ninja crime wave in New York, and I knew he would have had a lot to talk about. Now, the enemy knows I'm here, and the younger sister of Keyodai Ken - the man who knew I was Bruce Wayne - is a leader among them.

They surround me now, one carrying off Karai from harm's way. I now ready myself, trying to figure out the first move the intend to make. They all seem ready for what is about to happen, but their postures indicate that they're second-guessing this situation. The ninja who spoke before speaks one more time.

"Be warned, bat", he says. "You will be hunted down, but only after we are finished with them."

He points to the turtle who was sitting on a fan, and is no longer there. The ninjas failed to notice that the turtle had moved to a higher ground on the roof, directly above us.

"Then get your travel plans, cuz we're about to end this!"

He leaps down and attacks one of the ninja, as the rest make their moves. I turn around and take on the ninja behind us, knowing that he has the ninjas on that end covered for. I dodge and counter attack these ninjas with surprising ease. Their moves are fluid, but lack a crisp excecution that can only be blamed on the manner in which they were trained. A few of the blows I landed caused some of them to whimper a bit, indicating that a few of them are fairly young. I easily take out half of what was up here with us, and I turn around to see the turtle has just finished off what was on his side.

The early morning light starts to glow, as the sun is ready to rise from the horizon. I look down to see if I had hurt these men anymore than I appeared to do so. None of them seem to have any vital injuries, despite the pain their noises are indicating they're in.

"Who the heck hired you guys?" the turtle taunts the defeated ninjas. "I mean, I've played video games harder than this."

I step over a few fallen ninja, who probably wouldn't have the answers I want. Normally, the least skilled of the clan are the ones with the least amount of knowledge. I go to where Karai was laid down, and I kneel down to put her over my shoulder. I stand up to see the turtle standing up straight with his arms folded behind his head.

"You know, bat", he says starting to yawn. "I heard you was good, but man. Nothing beats seeing all of this up close and..."

He turns to look at me, noticing I have Karai over my shoulder and still unconscious.

"Hey wait a minute", he says in a serious tone. "Whadda you think you're doin'?"

He looks at me, in obvious protest of me leaving with Karai. I stare at him coldly as he looks confused.

"I have questions", I simply say. "She has answers."

I turn my back to the turtle, stepping up to the ledge. He has heard of me before, but probably thinks I intend on causing more harm to this girl. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't care if I just left without warning.

"Hold up, freak", he shouts at me. "You can't just..."

"Watch me."

I'm ready to jump and use the grapple mid-freefall. I have to question Karai about what the Foot Clan intends on doing with the equipment stolen from all of the cities. I begin to make my move off of the roof, only to be stopped as more daggers fly between my feet, sticking to the ledge. They didn't come from the turtle's direction. They came down at me from an angle. I look up at the ledge these ninjas had first appeared from, but it wasn't more of the Foot Clan coming as backup. What it really was...was one of those things you could believe, but sometimes you just can't in certain situations.

I count three of them.

Three more turtles.

The sun will have to wait a little longer, my night isn't over yet.


	2. Calm

"There's no way you're leaving with her, Batman."

I hate New York.

Three more turtles show up, all I assume that are equally as trained as the first one I encountered tonight. Rumors of their existence had been localized at best, but managed to lightly spread throughout the country. Probably presumed as a spoof on my own questionable existence. Tonight, I find out the rumors were true, and also I think I found leads to solving this case.

"I'm not going to repeat myself."

The three new turtles jump down from above us, landing in unison. The one who spoke out approaches me; blue being his primary color. The rest stay back, checking on the one I already met. The one approaching me has two katana handles sticking out from behind his shoulders. He didn't speak with an accent like the other one; choosing to use a more proper and direct tone. Almost a condescending one. It lacks bass, however.

"I have no intentions of harming her", I say back.

I stand my ground on the ledge, as the turtles start to gather towards their leader. They're fixed on me, watching my every move. I had my hands almost full with just one, but now there's four of them. Their leader seems to be the most focused of them, as the other three's postures aren't as disciplined. One begins to speak out of turn, not following the lead of the others.

"Whoa dudes", says the one wearing orange. "I never thought I'd see him up close like this. I didn't even know if he was real."

"You've seen the videos, Mikey", the one wearing purple says. "This guy has shown up in a lot of our file footage on the Justice League."

"Yeah I know, but still dude..."

"Knock it off, you guys", the leader says. "Look Batman, we know you probably have good intentions, but you can't just leave with Karai, no matter our differences with her."

I know they mean well, but I need answers. Yet, if I try to leave here with Karai, they'll either follow me step for step, or show up later on making what I may have to do that much more difficult. They knew I was in town. How they managed to track me is something I'll have to correct later. I can't afford to let that happen ever again.

They're well within their right to prevent me from taking her, however. It is their city, I suppose. The truth is, I wouldn't react any differently. I wouldn't even be attempting to reason as their leader is right now. I would have tried to take them all out at once, which probably won't work without more of a fuss than I can afford to make. This situation cannot be anymore complicated than it already is.

"Alright."

* * *

"So all the items stolen are key components in a temporal field displacement generator?"

We have remained on the roof, already securing the fallen ninja around us. I told my story to the four brothers, who in turn have told me theirs. Mutated by an engineered substance from the debunked TGRI corporation - who happened to sell out their remaining assets to LexCorp - and have been living under the city for the past seventeen years. Their genetic mutation has given them human characteristics. From what I remember of TGRI's findings back then, most of their attempts in gene-splicing had turned up little to no results. What their classified documents had shown was that a large number of their human test subjects were mutated with horrific results, requiring their immediate...disposal.

More files had shown that TGRI had mysteriously displaced large quantities of their serums, around the time the turtles place their first human memories.

From what they tell me, I can assume that their genetic makeup had been successfully spliced with living organisms they have had the most physical contact with. I was able to retrieve a sample of the mutegen serum four years ago when WayneTech cleaned out some of their warehouses and found a package addressed to our science division. I was able to secure the package and found a single container holding twenty-four ounces of their mutagen. There was no direct reason why they sent us the container, but I assume that they wanted somebody to continue the research after they went under. I analyzed it thoroughly and my results had shown that the initial stage of the serum was far too unstable for human DNA to make contact with it.

I mixed the serum with DNA samples taken from other species of animals and found that smaller animals reacted to the serum instead of larger subjects. The developers were obviously blinded by their determination to make this work in humans. They didn't even bother to experiment on other animals, and I could never understand why none of the researchers thought to do so. It's no secret why TGRI eventually went under.

Later on, the turtles say that a TGRI scientist synthesize the mutagen and it showed promising results as it properly turned one of their human adversaries into a meta-level human.

So, these four brothers are the results of direct contact with the mutagen, even managing to progressively age as humans do. They retain personalities reflective of humans their age, as young adults. Their personalities are also distinctive between them, not one of them too much like the next. They are scientific achievements no matter how you look at it.

All four of them.

Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

"I imagine that you've had dealings with this Foot Clan", I say to them. "So I'll be as clear as possible: I have to find out where they are and stop them from constructing that device."

"So like, how do you even know that's what they wanna make with it, bro?" Michelangelo asks. "Ha, maybe they want better satellite reception."

"Knock it off, Mikey", Donatello says. "The equipment you told me about that they stole. From what I understand, aren't they missing key components to finish the temporal field displacement generator?"

"Yes", I say. "The ones responsible for the robberies have most of the parts necessary, but are missing two vital pieces, and they're located in this city."

"Somethin' tells me it exactly bumpin' on Time Square", Raphael says.

"No", I say. "Probably not."

The turtles stay silent for a moment, until Michelangelo speaks up.

"Well, what if they already have it?"

The three look at him as I do, putting it together as well.

Of course.

"It wouldn't make any sense for them to leave town, then come back to look for what they need", Leonardo says.

"No it wouldn't", I add. "Then we're father behind than we realized."

I turn to the chimney that Karai is leaning against on this roof, as she slowly regained consciousness for the past few minutes. The blow to the neck I gave her put her out immediately with her guard being down and small frame. I kneel down next to her, leveling her head upright as her eyes begin to flicker open.

"Karai", I say. "Where are The Foot building the displacement generator?"

She slowly is able to focus her eyes on me, but heard me perfectly.

"Y...You disgust me."

She spits in my face as her face slowly regains focus.

"Not popular with the ladies, are ya bat?" Raphael says from behind.

"I enjoy the image of your death at the hands of The Foot Clan", she continues. "That alone is almost worth letting you know of our whereabouts. However, I know nothing of this...generator."

Her eyes aren't lying, as Raphael comes from behind.

"Look chick", he says. "You pajama wearing Cirque Du Soleil wannabes are in deep enough forcing this pointy-eared freak to come after yous. So why don't you just save your spit and get the breathe working on an answer?"

Karai's will is going to be difficult to break. I really hate doing what I may have to do, but it's all I have. If the Foot Clan really have everything they need to complete the generator, then I'll have to cut corners.

"Hold her still", I say to Raphael.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leonardo says while approaching quickly.

"We don't have time for her games", I say reaching into my belt. "We're more behind than we realized."

Her eyes are trained to withstand telling lies. It is a less noticeable trait of ninja to the untrained. She'll continue to deny their involvement no matter what tactic I take within my own boundaries. The turtles question my own methods, which would lead me to believe they'd have an even lessor chance of cracking her. My last resort isn't exactly my style, but it is effective.

"This is a special compound for moments like this, Karai", I say holding up a vile the size of my thumb, full of purple liquid for her and the turtles to see.

"Great, so we get some ice water to mix that kool-aid and she's gonna sing", Raphael says.

I take out a mass injector used to inoculate patients with vaccines and other antibiotics. I load the serum into it, and inject the serum through Karai's arm. She tried to resist, but her res taints and lack of strength left her with very little fight. The gun is designed to minimize risk of infection even if injected through fabric like I did through her suit.

"I have been trained to withstand such methods, Batman", Karai says with as much strength in her voice as possible. "I will laugh through...laugh th...I will..."

"Something tells me that's more than just a Mickey", Michelangelo says.

"It has to be sodium pentothal", Donatello says. "But didn't Karai just say...?"

"It's a blend that I synthesized with a toxin normally used to bring about fear within individuals", I say to them. "The toxin blended in is able to break the will of an individual no matter how tolerant they are to the serum."

Karai's eyes begin to slowly open and close as the serum takes hold. I stand up as the turtles surround me, with Leonardo obviously taking a strong observation of my every move. I don't expect them to trust me, and I especially don't expect them to leave me alone after I get what I need out of Karai.

"Karai", I say to her.

She looks up at me, her eyes barely able to stay open. In her weakened state, the intoxicating side effect of the sodium pentothal is more potent.

"Where is the Foot Clan building the generator?"

She looks at me as she fights to keep herself upright.

"Man, she looks like me after a flavor crust bender", Michelangelo says.

"I...", Karai starts. "I know...nothing of th...this generator."

The turtles let out collective sighs after Karai speaks.

"Great, Bat", Raphael says. "Maybe you shouldda added some sugar."

I stare at her as she starts to lose consciousness. I know she is exceptional in her abilities, but even she couldn't withstand that serum. I've been able to administer it to telepaths without problems.

"She's telling the truth", I grunt in frustration.

I walk towards the ledge, pounding the bottom of my fist onto it. Knowing that the Foot Clan has everything they need to construct the generator is enough to put this situation at the highest priority. With everything I've seen with the League and even on my own, the generator can unleash a havoc on this city far more devastating than the incident with Max Winters. If they managed to get a doorway to somewhere like Apokalips open in the middle of New York City, then the planet would be lost.

"I need more information on the Foot Clan", I say turning back to the turtles. "Tell me what you know."

* * *

The turtles have lead me to the underground caverns of New York City. We have walked the underground for what seems like an hour from the rooftop where we battled the Foot Clan. We left the Foot unconscious for the police to find, but we brought Karai with us. They have a lair beneath the streets where they have spent their entire lives training and growing into the protectors of this city.

The turtles obviously know this town well, by doing their nightly patrols as I do in Gotham. I'm impressed by their ability and dedication to such a large city. Gotham is no small city by any standard, but the Burroughs of New York would require constant monitoring themselves.

They attempt to keep their existence unknown more so than I ever had. They don't have the advantage of working directly with the head of the NYPD, unlike my relationship with the police in Gotham. They remain wanted individuals, even if no proof of their existence is available.

They owe absolutely nothing to this city, yet they give their entire existence to it.

I have the luxury of going home and assuming the role of Bruce Wayne to rest my body for the next night's patrol. I have a large home that belonged to my parents and generations of the Wayne family before them. The turtles have no legacy to follow, no lives to live among everyone else. They return home and stay in a isolated existence, unable to join the world above them. How ironic, that being a situation I wish I was in every once in a while. I wish I could ignore Bruce Wayne's responsibilities and remain in the cave continuing my real work.

However, humans require so much more in life. My intention of remaining alone has turned no results, due to the friends and allies I have gained over the years. The turtles are not human, but the way they work together, the way they interact with each other and their overall demeanor is far more human than I have been able to be.

"We're here", Donatello says to me.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the route we took to get to a specific brick wall in the city sewers. Leonardo reaches for a metal bracket on one of the drainage pipes then pulls on it to reveal it is a mechanism to open the brick wall into their lair.

"Wipe your feet, Bat", Raphael says.

They lead me inside, and the atmosphere drastically changes from the caverns we had trekked through. Their home is surprisingly well furnished as it resides in an abandoned subway station. We walk towards a platform right in the middle where their living area is. A tattered sofa with matching chair are pointed at a plasma television, and the area happens to be littered with garbage, like a college dorm room. To the left is a full kitchen area that seems functional.

The surprise of the area is to the right of the entrance.

A full computer database with state-of-the-art technology is set up that is almost incomprehensible. I imagine that everything within their lair has been salvaged to a certain degree, but most of this equipment exceeds millions of dollars in cost alone.

"I'm impressed", I say as Michelangelo lays Karai on the sofa.

"Eh, it's home, bro", Michelangelo says. "I'm still waiting for Donnie to let me put in a court for some hoops."

"We already put up the half pipe for you", Leonardo retorts. "You barely play with that already."

I stand by myself in the center of the large room, while the turtles seem to tend to their own...issues. Michelangelo is already in the kitchen with his head in the refrigerator. Raphael leaped up to the second story of the train station, probably where his room is located. Donatello sits at his chair by the computer console, placing a headset on.

"Come with me."

I turn around to see Leonardo staring at me intently, as he has been all night. I imagine that me being here isn't exactly settling well with him, even if it was his decision to bring me back here. I needed information on the Foot Clan, and he suggested I'd find what I needed in their lair.

Leonardo leads me past Donatello's setup towards an opening that leads into a candle lit room. It's decorated in many of the styling from the Edo period in Japanese history, right before the modern age began. Surprising, the themed decor shares space with many pieces of renaissance art. This would explain why the turtles where given the names they carry. At the far end of this room, I see a small figure sitting peacefully on the floor. Leonardo leads me towards it, then he kneels before it.

"Master", Leonardo begins.

The figure keeps its head down, but speaks after a brief silence.

"You have brought someone to our home, my son."

The figure raises his head, and reveals to be the turtles' sensei.

"Come forward", he motions at me with his hand covered in brown fur.

I walk towards him, standing beside a kneeling Leonardo. The turtles told me of their sensei, Splinter. He is was mutated from his original form as the turtles were. He spent his years in Japan, then eventually moved to New York with his master, whose teachings Splinter had passed on to the turtles. Now a humanoid rat, he has dedicated his life raising these turtles all of their lives, helping them cope with their own existence.

"I come seeking information", I say as I kneel down next to Leonardo, surprising him a bit. "Sensei."

I bow my head in respect, then raise it to see Splinter's eyes gleaming at me.

"You bow with such respect, my young friend", Splinter begins. "Should I assume you are no stranger to our teachings?"

The kanji written on many of the wall scrolls and on the kimono of Splinter are very familiar to me.

"I have had many teachers", I answer. "Most notably Yoru Sensei, who's name appears multiple times in this room."

Splinter grunts with an intrigue as he rises to his feet.

"Yoru is as renowned a martial artist as anyone has been in Japan", Splinter continues. "His teachings have given rise to a great generation of followers throughout the world."

"He is a wonderful teacher", I say.

"Yet, you are not here to rekindle matters of time passed, my friend", he says. "What brings you to us?"

I tell him as I told the turtles about the Foot and the stolen equipment. It takes roughly fifteen minutes to finish as we were joined by the rest of the turtles.

"The Foot Clan was once honorable in their ways", Splinter says. "Originally, the purpose of its continued existence was to pass centuries of knowledge in hopes they would not fade with time. Now, the Foot Clan has been reduced to a highly skilled band of thieves. They have operated primarily in Japan, but have made their way to New York under the guidance of one of their sensei: Oroko Saki."

Saki?

"Saki lead The Foot in New York, carrying on their treachery that extended back to my home in Japan", Splinter continued. "We fought him him years ago, but we were able to defeat him. However, the Foot have been lead by another, who had come to America to return order after Saki's disappearance."

"Yeah, she's sleeping on the couch right now", Michelangelo says while chewing on some food.

Splinter stared at his young student with embarrassment as he makes a slob of himself in front of everyone.

"Is there a chance that there could be a separate faction of The Foot Clan?" I ask.

Splinter lets go a raspy hum that seems to be a common trait of his.

"Karai has led The Foot in Japan for years while Saki remained in America. With her here, I imagine new leadership has risen in Japan."

"Would the new leaders in Japan operate in New York without Karai's knowledge?" Donatello asked.

"Difficult to say", Splinter says while in deep thought. "It is not uncommon for deception to occur amongst those you would consider to be allies. Perhaps that is what we face at this very moment."

The turtles and Splinter pause for a moment, as I join them in deep thought. They respond to his every word as only students truly can, by taking in every breathe of knowledge he has hoping to instill it within themselves. Being the leader, Leonardo is the most obvious in his attentiveness to Splinter. The others vary in their attention span towards their sensei.

"Hey wait a second, Karai said to us that our truce was at an end", Raphael says breaking the silence. "What if she was ordered by the head honchos in Japan to focus on us while they come over here behind Karai's back?"

"The most deceptive move is to take advantage of ones loyalty", Splinter says.

"The Foot we encountered tonight", I say. "The majority of them were children, undisciplined and obviously lacking in any experience. They appear to be water-downed members recruited by more experienced members, almost taken advantage of."

"We fought those kind when we first encountered the Foot", Leonardo says.

"They must be low on quality ninjas", Michelangelo says with a slight chuckle.

He's not exactly that dimwitted.

"Or, they're being forced to work with what they're given."

* * *

"Karai."

Karai has had a rough night.

First, she was forced to take ill-prepared members of The Foot and deliver a message to the turtles. She finds one of them, but also finds me along with him. She loses her focus and control in front of her subordinates at the very sight of me, revealing to me she is Kyodai Ken's younger sister. Her anger greatly diminished her ability as she attempted to kill me, which lead me to knock her out with a blow most amateurs can avoid.

I don't even need to mention the interrogation.

But now, she finds herself in the lair of her sworn enemies, hanging upside down in front of the man she blames for her brother's death.

"Kill me", she says. "I can no longer stand the sight of you."

Her eyes are trying to trick me into letting her loose. So I play into her hands. I motion for Leonardo to throw a dagger at the rope she hangs from. The blade is thrown swiftly and accurately. She falls briefly as I catch her, allowing her to be upright as her feet land on the ground.

"You've been deceived by your own clan", I say pulling out a knife.

Her face focuses on it for a moment, as her arms and legs are perfectly bound, preventing her from doing anything but falling over like a log. For a brief moment, her hardened exterior softens, believing that I may kill her.

I cut the rope around her body in one quick slash, quickly putting my knife away in my belt. She must have believed that I cut her so fast that the pain had yet to set in. However, when she sees that only the rope has fallen to the floor, her fierce nature returns to her.

"I will kill you!"

"STOP!"

She halts her intention to attack me to turn behind her and see Splinter and the turtles standing in unison. She goes into a defensive mode, expecting an attack from all angles. Instead, she sees Splinter and the turtles descend to one knee, showing no intentions that they would attack.

I, reluctantly, do the same.

"My dear", Splinter begins. "We do not wish to bring you harm, especially within our home."

"You...freely reveal your lair to me", Karai says with disbelief while still in a defensive stance. "I am your sworn enemy, and you show me where you sleep?"

"I am so sleeping in the van from now on", Michelangelo says out of place once again.

Splinter motions to the turtles to remained knelt, as he slowly stands up and calmly approaches Karai. Her body language reveals her confusion to the situation. I'm starting to feel a little bit of the same. Yet, Splinter was right. If we were to get any information from Karai, we had to earn her trust. I think Raphael and I were the only ones that the idea made our heads hurt.

"We have reason to believe you are the victim of a great deception, my child", Splinter says.

"Liar!" she nearly shrieks as her body continues to tense.

Splinter's calmness as he approaches within five feet of her is beginning to unravel the tension within Karai. Her eyes had grown as wide as anyone's in a situation like this, but her face regains composure along with the rest of her body. Splinter is finally able to get her to lower her defenses enough to speak with her freely.

"You have kidnapped me", she says to us all as she turns to meet everyone's eyes. "I do not even know what became of my comrades, and now you dare attempt to convince me of treachery within the Foot Clan?"

"It is treachery that has fueled the Foot Clan for many years now", Splinter says. "Your very presence here in America is to undo much of the disarray caused by the villainous nature of The Foot."

She looks at Splinter with unwavering eyes. The turtles remain kneeling as do I. Splinter is making fantastic progress with her, and I only hope that my being here doesn't make his efforts vain.

"You fight with such ability and honor, Karai", Splinter continues. "Surely you have seen..."

"It is one of the two reasons why I agreed to leave my home for America", she says. "The Foot Clan put faith in a man who could not see past his own greed, his own agenda. He meant to use The Foot as common criminals, allowing the most unworthy to wear the colors of our brethren. It was an honor to take on the mission of restoring order and dignity to our name, here."

Surprisingly, she turns to me with a controlled look.

"You", she begins. "You are the other reason why I came to America. I loved my brother more than anything in this world, and because of your doings, my brother was taken from me. I dedicated my life to ninjitsu, following the path of my brother in hopes of carrying on our name with the honor you stole from him. My second mission in America was to take back the honor you had stolen from him."

I stand up slowly and meet her gaze with my own.

"Help us", I say to her. "And I'll give you you're chance."

* * *

"Man, I don't like this one bit", Raphael says while gasping for air.

The turtles and I race across rooftops as Karai leads us to a warehouse owned by a dummy corporation set up by the Foot Clan overseas. This is where shipments of authentic supplies from Japan are stored to aid the Foot Clan's missions over here. We make it to the wharf as we jump from warehouse to warehouse until Karai motions to us that we are at the right one.

"This is it", she starts. "We are not due another shipment for two weeks. You will find nothing inside here."

I look at her eyes again, not trusting the truth within them. I turn and run to leap off of the roof of the warehouse, down to the main door. The rest follow me down in succession as Karai approaches the numeric lock. The morning sun is beginning to rise in the distance, and these docks are about to be busy within the hour. I had no choice but to come now in search of evidence. The situation will no doubt get worse the more time is wasted.

Karai enters a code and the giant loading doors begin to slide open.

"Hey Mikey", Raphael says. "This is like that dream you was telling me about. That giant oven that makes the world's largest deep dish."

"Oh yeah, bro", Michelangelo says. "Except for the supermodels that are waxing my shell waiting for the timer to go off."

"Quiet", Leonardo simply says.

Karai stands back, waiting for an empty warehouse to be revealed. To all of our surprise, the warehouse was anything but empty.

"This...cannot be", Karai says in disbelief.

"Stay behind me", I say while walking in.

The main lights flicker on, revealing multiple crates loaded in the center of the large warehouse. Surrounding them are lab equipment and what appears to be training barracks.

"When was the last time you were in here, Karai?" Donatello asks.

"It has not been three weeks since I last entered here", she says still shocked.

I walk towards the crates as the writing on them becomes more clear.

Wayne Tech.

Lexcorp.

S.T.A.R. Labs.

United States Air force

I found what I've been looking for.

The equipment that had been stolen seem to all be here, but multiple crates that had not been reported missing by the military are resting inside here as well. This is not a good sign.

"I have to put a call in to the Justice..."

Before I can finish talking, the lights go out in the warehouse. We are not in total darkness, but our vision is impaired enough.

"Hey K", I hear Michelangelo in the dark. "Was that the last time you guys made a payment for this place?"

In the confusion, I activate the night vision lenses in my cowl. Just as they turned on, the lights kicked back on, sending an intense light directly into my eyes. Everyone hears me wince as I drop to my knees. Suddenly, I feel a foot come crashing down on my head.

"Batman!" I hear Leonardo say. "Turtles, stay together."

I fall to the ground as I hear multiple footsteps begin to surround our position. Whoever kicked me guided their shin across the side of my cheek, cutting me with some sort of blade attached to what might have been a shin guard.

"It appears tonight, my vengeance has sought me out", the deep voice of my attacker says. "Foot Soldiers, leave none alive!"


	3. Trust

"Shredder..."

I'm getting used to New York. 

Leonardo's voice tightens as I lay on the ground, blinded from having light shown into my lenses with the night vision activated. There is an emergency setting in my cowl to counter this, but it uses my suit's power resources twice as fast as my other lens functions. "Batman", I hear Donatello shout. "Can you stand up?"

Whoever kicked me has backed away, allowing whoever is surrounding us to close in. I regain myself and stand, while still not being able to see. I have no choice, I have to use it. 

Years ago, The Penguin tried to steal a prototype military helicopter and left Bruce Wayne temporarily blinded in the escape. I was able to modify a helmet by utilizing two ruby quartz lenses as artificial eyes, feeding a constant electro-magnetic pulse through my temples, and directly into the optic nerves. 

I was able to minimize the components over the years to add it as a feature to the lenses in my cowl. However, the strain put on the circuitry already lined into cowl would guarantee that after a prolonged use, the fuse would go. The fuse in my cowl is near microscopic, and that's something I can't easily replace while out on duty. The image my brain would receive is an infrared-based visual that allows me to see solid objects in different shades of red, depending on their density. 

The sounds around me shout of a small army. The warehouse was refurbished into a barracks of some type, including small but detailed training grounds.. The numerous sounds of steps and metal clanging against metal does not sit well with me. I activate the lenses, and I feel the uncomfortable jolt shoot into my head. Within seconds, I get the feed coming in from the lenses. 

I count almost one hundred of them. 

The Foot Clan.

They surround the six of us, slowly moving towards us with barely any fluid motion. The turtles and Karai are already in a defensive back-to-back position as I back into with them. 

"This is not possible", Karai nearly shouts while clutching at her katana. 

"Anyone know what hit me?" I ask annoyed. 

"Everything in the kitchen, but the sink", Raphael says. "Looks like our ol' buddy is back, brothers!"

Everyone prepares to fight, then I notice something about our would-be attackers. 

"Dudes, why are they...moving funny?" Michelangelo asks in confusion. 

"Because they're not human", I say. 

These ninjas were moving too obviously, too directly. I've seen machines like these before, but I have no idea what the extent of their threat is. If we can handle this without the assistance of the League, I can call this a good day.

"What did Shredder just call them?" Donatello. "Foot...Soldiers?"

"Hey Leo", Raphael says. "I think it's time to give the order."

Leonardo readies himself, as do the rest of us. Those who hadn't drawn their weapons yet are now armed and ready to fight. I don't have a blunt weapon of any kind, and I can't trust my aim well enough right now to use batarangs. Instead, I put on my hand pad that enables me to throw a punch at meta level strength. If it can knock a Thanagarian out cold, it should be able to do the job here. 

"If they prove too much to handle", I start. "Then fall back immediately."

"These abominations will not force my retreat", Karai says. 

She prematurely charges for the first Foot Soldier and cleanly slices it in half at the waist. The torso falls to the ground as the legs and pelvis remain standing, violently sparking from where Karai cut it. 

"They are toys!" Karai shouts. "I will destroy every last one of them for daring to carry the name of our clan!"

Karai effortlessly destroys two more as the rest of us take action. The Foot Soldiers are armed with random ninjitsu weapons, ranging from kitantas, bo staffs and throwing stars. They wield them fairly well, but not enough to consider them a threat with them. What concerns me are their less than obvious capabilities they may not be showing us. I hear Karai and the turtles smashing their way through every Foot Soldier they see. I make my own case by dodging choppy weapon attacks that I could have avoided when I was five years old. The hand pad allows me to punch my way through every opponent easily as I flip and dodge my way through the crowd. 

My eye sight must be getting close to normal, but I can't risk charging down the lenses and immediately charging them back up if needed. I'll have to keep them activated until we're done, which won't be much longer. 

"Are you guys kiddin me?" Raphael shouts during the fight. "I've seen Mikey eat tougher pizzas than these tin-clowns."

I can barely tell from such a distance, but from the glances I get in their direction, the turtles are working fantastic as a team. Leonardo coordinates their attacks, and they seem to follow his lead almost fluidly. When I have Tim, Barbara and even Dick out for a mission together, we work in similar fashion. Except, I imagine myself to be a bit more...demanding. Karai seems to be working well on her own. Her inner rage seems to be in check for a moment as she allows her ability to carry her through this battle. Her work with her sword is masterful. Overall technique, flawless. I imagine the younger sister of Keyodai Ken who has dedicated her life to be like her brother to be no different. 

"Hey Karai", I hear Michelangelo shout. "Maybe you should show these guys how to be real Foot members and run while they can."

"IDIOT!" she shouts back. 

The collective laughter from the turtles - even Leonardo - shows just how in tune they are with their abilities and one another. These Foot Soldiers are sub par in every way, even slowed by attempting to yield weapons. We finish them all off easily, as scattered parts of our opponents lay all over the area we fought them. Everyone is collecting their breathes as Donatello kneels down to assess some of the damaged Foot Soldiers. 

"This was too easy", Leonardo says while sheathing his swords. "This is not The Shredder's..."

"The Shredder has returned to America to dishonor the Foot Clan once again" Karai spits out in disgust. "I was ordered by my elders in Japan to end our truce with you turtles. Now it appears it was done to appease the return of Oroko Saki to power."

Oroko Saki...

* * *

We're back underground in the turtles' lair. Donatello and I managed to salvage enough parts in the rubble of the Foot Soldiers to completely rebuild one of the robots. Leonardo has been speaking with Splinter in the study since we got back, reporting this mornings events. Michelangelo and Raphael surprisingly stand by Donatello and I as we go over the multiple parts laid on the work table by their computer systems. 

Perhaps the most surprising, Karai has chosen to remain with us, who is using one of their rooms to meditate. 

Karai explained to us how Oroko Saki had influenced the elders of the Foot Clan in Japan. His brash, yet charismatic nature intrigued the elders as they allowed him to operate as he had pleased. Karai spoke of rumors that Saki was a favored relative of the head elder, which would make sense. They allowed him to lead the Foot Clan to New York and set up one of the most notorious crime syndicates the city has ever seen without any affiliation with the mob, ignoring any honor The Clan held. 

"This is like that model robot set I have that took me, like, twenty hours to build", Michelangelo says behind us. 

"The box said it should only take an eight year old ten hours, Mikey", Raphael replies. 

"Well, I finished it."

Donatello and I are finishing the placing the components of the Foot Soldier on the table in order where we believe they come together. We both notice immediately that the bolts and screws used are not exactly purchased at a hardware store. They are definitely too unique, almost alien. The rest of the body is put together by clamps at the joints of the skeletal system, with wiring connecting behind the reinforced joints. The chassis itself is the most heavily armored portion of the body. We weren't able to open up the torso of any of the Foot Soldiers we were able to destroy, and it looks like we'll have to use a cutting torch to dissect it. 

"I'm assuming the CPU inside should give us enough information to figure out where these came from", Donatello starts while holding the head. "I can run a current into the head and restart it's operating system, then I can hack into it and find out what we'll need."

"Then we can reprogram it to be on our side and buy it a leather jacket", Raphael says sarcastically. "I doubt they were sent back in time to protect us."

"No", I say. "But they were sent from somewhere."

I'm fighting back a yawn from my lack of sleep. It's been three nights since I last slept. I finished a mission with the League, then this case fell on my lap. If not for the severity of the situation, I would have waited on it, or deferred it to the League. But since my company was involved, including a band of ninjas, I had no choice but to see this first by myself. I met up with the turtles roughly nine hours ago, and now they're deep in the case as well. 

"Earth to Batman", Donatello says to me. "I said that I've got the CPU up and running."

Zoned out. 

"Work on that", I say composing myself. "I think I need to..."

"Morning guys!"

I quickly spin around as the turtles casually look towards the doorway. A woman enters the opened doorway, carrying two grocery bags. The turtles don't even act surprised, more as though they had been waiting for her. They never said anything about a women who could possibly pop up here at any time.

"Sorry I'm late with your breakfast guys, but I...had to...I..."

She walked halfway towards us, and stops dead in her tracks the second she sees me. I recognize this woman, her name is April O'Neil. She used to be a reporter for a television station here in New York, now she is archaeological antiques dealer. How you transition from the one job to the other one, I have no idea. 

"The...The B...Bat..." She mumbles while dropping the bags on the ground. 

"Come on, Babe. Be a little more Care...ful?"

She was trailed by someone who I've met personally before years ago. He carried in grocery bags that are now on the floor, while stopping as well. 

"Whoa..."

"Great", Raphael says annoyed behind me, now walking towards the stairs. "You guys bring groceries to four talking turtles and a rat, and you go brain dead when you see a guy in a bat costume. I'm outta here, Mikey clean that up."

"Alright, more Cocoa Flakes!" Michelangelo shouts as he moves to pick up the fallen groceries. 

"I apologize for not mentioning them", I hear Leonardo say coming from behind. "We forgot how important your secrecy was, but they're family to us. We trust them, and you can too."

"I see", I say not taking my eyes off of the two new guests. "Casey, it's been a while."

April O'Neil snaps back into attention when I mention his name. 

"Whoa, wait a minute", she nearly shouts and half turns to Casey. "You...you know him?"

Casey is dressed in clothes he obviously slept in. April, who appears having trouble taking all of this in, is wearing a jumpsuit that matches her red hair. 

"We met", Casey says, then approaches me. "Years ago, when I first started out. Batman saved my hide one night.'

"Twelve years", I say. "You tried to stop vandals at Gotham University."

"Yeah, I went there for two years on a hockey scholarship", he says. "I tried stopping some creeps from Blüdhaven College. They were tagging the outside walls of our rink, so I put on my goalie mask and put a hurtin' on them."

"They were gang members affiliated with some Gotham crews that I was following around", I say. "They would have killed you."

I remember Casey had fought fearlessly and with some controlled anger that night, easily handling the gang members. I only stepped in because he could have put them in a hospital, and they were affiliated with Tony Zucco. If Zucco found out any of the young gangs he controlled would eventually end up talking to police - like they would have - he would have put a hit out on them to shut them up before they could talk. 

"So...what are you doing in town, and with these guys?" he asks me. 

"The Foot drew him here", Leonardo says now standing beside me. "We're helping him out since we have history with them."

April slowly walks to Casey's side, obviously intimidated by my being here. I don't know the extent of everyones relationships here, but Leonardo calls them family. They're as comfortable with each other as anyone could be, I assume. Casey and April walked into their lair like it was a home to them. That comfort can only come from years of camaraderie. 

But their relationships together serves practical uses, I'm sure. The turtles can't roam freely above ground, and they need someone to do their daily supply runs. She brought them groceries, after all. 

"So you guys just met up and..." April starts while rolling her hands, using them to describe her confusion. "...now you're here?"

"Yes", I say sternly, not willing to admit my amusement in her jumping back slightly at my voice. 

Donatello joins us, with his torch goggles resting on his forehead. 

"Look April, why don't you two go sit down and Leo will catch you up", he says then turns to me. "You gotta see this."

Donatello walks me over to his work station, while Leonardo walks April and Casey over to the tattered sofa by their TV. Donatello shows me the information he pulled from the Foot Soldier's CPU, then runs though a brief explanation of what he found. Through the headache I've developed from being up too long - and Michelangelo's insistent crunching of his cereal with his mouth open - he showed me that the CPU was running a simplistic program operated by remote to control the Foot Soldiers. The logistics of the hardware are far more complicated than the functionality performed by these robots. They were engineered so efficiently, yet were completely torn apart by us.

Easily. 

"Then look here."

Donatello shows on the screen that these Foot Soldiers actually have model numbers that were translated to Kanji by someone who could barely read it, given the many misuses of the lettering. There are plenty of mistranslations, but one word is used that is plain as day. 

"Prototype", I say. 

"Imagine these things improved upon", Donatello says. 

"All they lacked were fluid motion and the ability to dodge attacks", I say. "If they could be drastically improved upon and mass produced, this adds to the problem. Can you trace the signal?"

"Eh", Donatello struggles. "I should be able, but it'll take time."

He turns towards his computer without saying another word, already at work. Donatello takes pride in his knowledge, and wastes no time taking on a task that falls in line with his field of expertise. Michelangelo walks up next to me, finishing off his bowl of cereal with a unnecessary belch. 

"Sorry 'bout that", he says wiping off his milk mustache. "You hungry, bro?"

I am, but maybe I should... oh forget it. 

"Yeah..." I say hesitantly. "What do you have?"

* * *

For living their entire lives underground as mutant turtles, these individuals know how to eat. I know my lack of sleep is always obvious, but even I forget to get a good meal in while I can. Alfred usually has a high calorie, high cabs meal waiting for me when I return from patrols. Normally, it's a large bowl of spaghetti with a half a loaf of toasted garlic bread. It's morning time, and I hadn't eaten since I left my penthouse at ten o'clock last night. I put in a decent nights work to warrant a good meal. 

"So", I say looking at Michelangelo, who is half-buried in the lower cupboard in the kitchen. "Healthy foods aren't exactly a staple around here."

"No way, dude", Michelangelo's voice comes out muffled. 

"Mikey is pretty much the chef de jour around here", Casey Jones says coming to the table. "If you're looking to eat something healthy, you're better off with fast food than this kitchen."

April follows him with Leonardo in tow. Leonardo explained our situation to them as thoroughly as he could. They seem to take it as an ordinary situation around here, which reminds me of the circles I run in. Yet, it's so different in a sense. 

When it's time to enjoy a meal around the table, we take our masks off and pretend to be normal for chunks of time here and there. Personally, it would be kind of silly to have a breakfast with loved ones while looking at everyone through the lenses in my cowl. For the turtles, they patrol the city as they are, they eat as they are, they just live life as they are. They don't have the choice to put on a disguise and take it off at will. If they just stopped a robbery one night, they're eating dinner or watching TV looking the exact same way. 

Like a family. 

The family I have taken on over the years are not so different, but we don't prep breakfasts or lounge around in our uniforms off duty. I'm out of place in that regard, but this is just another morning for them. 

April preps the circular table with plates and utensils. She was extremely taken aback by my presence, given that she was expecting just another breakfast that she seems accustomed to having here. I think with Leonardo's talk with them and Casey's history with me, it left her more at ease. 

"I wasn't expecting another person, so sorry if we run a little low", she says in attempt at conversation. 

I turn to see her looking back away from me, down at the table. She then slowly looks up again with an embarrassed and apologetic look after being caught. 

"It's fine", I say in a less stern voice. "Thank you."

I give her a more relaxed look then I've had on my face all morning. I have no intention of sticking around here and causing problems for anyone. I have to wait for Donatello to trace that signal, but I can't do it if I ignore sleep and my hunger. Since we're all here, we might as well make the best of it. 

"I understand you're into dealing archaeological pieces now", I say. "How do you go from reporting to excavations?"

"What's the difference, right?" she answers in a half laugh. "It's not like I could continue with the station after I starting hanging around these guys. How can you keep reporting news when you constantly protect the existence of the biggest news story in the city? If I were still a reporter, I would have ran to the bathroom on the phone to get the scoop that you were in town."

"Not if I stopped you first", I say with a full-on smirk.

Leonardo, Michelangelo and Casey let out laughs as April's comfort completely went away. 

"Good one, dude", Michelangelo says finally coming out of the cupboard. "Found the sauce, guys!"

Casey was boiling noodles and pan-frying hamburger meat when Michelangelo looked for spaghetti sauce. After constantly badgering me with questions, I finally let out that spaghetti sounded good. It seems that everyone couldn't react quick enough to get it going, even if some of them found that an odd choice for breakfast. Michelangelo seemed the most excited to prep the meal, since he probably could eat anything at any time. 

"Done guys", Casey says putting two containers on the table full of noodles and meat sauce. 

This is it. 

Everyone takes their spot at the table, save Raphael who's sleeping and Donatello who's still working on that Foot Soldier. Splinter remained in his study while no one had heard from Karai.I stand hesitantly with a sudden realization. 

I don't do this. 

I can't do this. 

There's something inside of me screaming at how wrong this is. I've exposed myself so much to people I haven't even known for more than a day. It's like Jervis Tetch developed another warped reality to trap me in. Everyone sits as Raphael appears out of nowhere. 

"Smells good, gang", he says taking his spot, but not before flicking the side of Michelangelo's head. "So bat, no cave droppings for you this morning, huh? Gonna eat wit the rest o'us?"

I say nothing as a sudden jolt of regret jumps inside of me. 

"Here", he says while kicking a chair that perfectly slides and stops when it hits my legs. "Better sit down before you break Mikey's heart. Or do you want us to put up a bar over the table so you can hang upside down?"

Everyone laughs as I get even more uneasy. I can't believe I'm being razzed by him. Everyone was staring at me for a moment, but shrug in unison and begin to serve themselves. They're using the tactic to go about normally to make me feel even more awkward. When the devil is Donatello going to finish with that...

"So everyone is here this morning", I hear Splinter say coming from behind, like the rest of these ninjas seem poised to do on a regular basis. "April, Casey, good morning to you."

"Good morning, Master Splinter", they both say in unison and with genuine respect. 

"Good morning my sons", Splinter says to the turtles. 

"Good morning, sensei", they say in unison. 

"Even you have joined us", Splinter says while I stay perfectly still. "A place at the table waits for you, my friend. You mustn't let your food get cold."

I slowly reach for the chair at my legs, then sigh to myself as I sit in the spot between Raphael and Michelangelo. The empty bowl in front of me is large enough to give me my usual serving after a patrol. The turtles sitting at my sides are eying me as they eat without missing a beat. I turn to Michelangelo, who is slurping a strand of noodle in his mouth, with a mess of red sauce around his lips. I then turn to Raphael, who winks at me while chewing at a meatball.

"Knock it off, you two", Leonardo says from across us. 

"Yes mom", Raphael says under his breath.

The table goes silent as Splinter sits down at the last spot available. I must be in Donatello's seat, who is still taking his sweet time figuring out that signal. 

"You should have seen them my first time here", April finally says breaking the silence. "I woke up from being unconscious and found four talking turtles and a giant rat in a kimono saying hi."

"I wake up at night shaking just thinking about that scream, April", Raphael says then turns to me. "Bat, this lady gets jumped by a bunch of Foot and I bring her back here. She wakes and BAM, starts screaming her head off. Gratitude, I tell ya."

"Hey, I took you guys back to my apartment and made you dinner", she says in defense. "I saved enough frozen pizzas for a party I was planning for that weekend and you cleaned me out in one night."

"I miss that loft", Casey said. "It was a really nice building."

"You were in there for two seconds before it burned down", April says while pointing her fork at Casey. "What do you remember besides us trying to get the heck out of there?"

"Well, it was a nice location", he says slurping up his food. 

Before I knew it, Michelangelo had served my bowl. I look down at it, and it looks really good. The smell of it is just like Alfred's, but there's more meat in this. I reach for a fork with my gloved hand. I feel absolutely ridiculous eating like this. I hate eating in the Watchtower cafeteria while the rest of the League eat food casually with one another in full uniform. I know what I do for a living, but I still can't take anyone seriously who eats with a mask on their face. 

"You must take time to relax yourself when the time is given to you, my friend", Splinter says to me as he shakes Parmesan cheese onto his food. "The world is a large place to make safe, but we cannot do our duty if our most basic needs are not met."

Splinter's right, and I finally stick my fork in the spaghetti. Everyone else seems to be more relaxed now and they continue with their meal. Michelangelo places the Parmesan cheese in front of me and flashes a large, spaghetti-stained grin. He turns back to his meal and speaks as he starts to eat again. 

"Awesome, I'm eating spaghetti with the Batman."

I start to eat with everyone and decide to take another step on my social progression. 

"Oroko Saki", I say as everyone looks at me while they still eat. "I knew him."

"The Shredder?" Leonardo asks. "How did you know him?"

I wait until I finish chewing my food to continue. This isn't so bad. 

"When I was training under Yoru sensei in Japan, Oroko Saki visited our dojo one week. He spoke to us as a favor to Yoru, as a representative of the Foot Clan. He came to our dojo along with Hamato Yoshi."

Everyone continues to stare at me, but with a gleam of surprise in their eyes. Even April and Casey appear to know these names. I imagine Splinter had gone over the turtles' story for them.

"Small world, huh fellas?" Raphael says taking another fork full. 

"How long ago was that?" Leonardo asks. 

I hesitate, but find it easier to share information with everyone at the table. I know none of what I say will leave their lair. 

"When I first left home at twelve", I begin. "I traveled the world. I then found myself in Yoru's tutelage. I trained and grew under him for six years."

I stop to take another scoop of my food as Raphael speaks up. 

"So what happened?" he asks. "You one of those problem kids your folks sent away to teach you a lesson?"

I stop chewing and stared at my bowl for a moment. Everyone was paying close attention to me while I was talking, and now notice my abrupt silence. I stay silent for a moment, then decide to let it out. 

"My parents were killed when I was eight", I say placing my fork down in the bowl.

Everyone remains still, then slowly look down at their plates. 

"Hey, I... I'm sorry bats", Raphael says apologetically. "I didn't know."

I pick my head up and stare at nothing, really. Just looking blankly as I begin to speak again. 

"I was there when it happened, and I swore on their grave that I would fight injustice with my every breath. I swore that no one would suffer the loss I had suffered. I spent twelve years in extensive training from that point on, and I've defended Gotham for the past fifteen years."

Everyone looked up at me again while I spoke. I can't understand it, but it actually felt... good to say that. Therapeutic, actually. It was thrown around before, but a lot of people suggested I seek therapy to help with my loss. I think Barbara suggested therapy just for the heck of it. It really does take a lot off of you to open up to strangers like I did just now. My training and logic would tell you I have just made the most fatal mistake I could make. Yet, Splinter's words and the kind, welcoming look in everyones eyes give me a comfort I haven't felt in a long time. 

To them, I'm just the Batman. But, they know more than anything that it's the person that drives me to do what I do. It's the person that struggles with the pain that my life has endured. They welcome me not as an ally, but as a welcomed guest. The casual nature by them could almost be considered foolhardy, but this is how they live their lives. I don't intimidate anyone at this table enough to not treat me like a person, and I can't even say that about the Justice League. 

"So, eight years old you say?" April asks me in a tone she hadn't used with me all morning. 

I look at her, and already I see the reporter's intuition return to her. It won't take long for her to put the pieces together. 

"Hey, when Mikey was eight, he couldn't stop falling off chairs for the life of him", Raphael says with a laugh. "So you just upped and took off to train for cracking heads in your city? I'm down with that idea, I'd probably have Gotham looking like a peaceful Utopia if anyone did that to my family."

"Raph, you'd probably end up causing more trouble than anything", Leonardo chimes in. 

"Really, o'fearless?" Raphael shoots back. "What would you do? Be all 'Look at me, I'm Leonardo'. You'd find a suit to put over your fat shell and say stuff like 'vote for me and I'll clean up this town by lecturing the bad guys and playing patty cake with your kids' or some garbage like that."

Everyone tried their best to hold back a laugh, with April actually letting out a snort, and covering her mouth with her hand. 

"I'd vote for you, Leo", Casey says finally. 

"Look Leo", Raphael starts again. "You got one meat head on your side. Way to start."

Everyone gives up and lets out laughter, with even Splinter showing an amused look on his face. Leonardo blushes heavily, then looks down to continue eating. 

With that back and forth between the brothers, I finished my bowl. Casey makes good spaghetti, despite the lack of any toasted garlic bread. 

"I got it!" I hear Donatello shout from his work station. 

That's my cue. 

"Thank you very much for the meal", I say. 

I stand up politely, yet swiftly and walk towards Donatello. When I stood up, I noticed from my vantage point that Karai was above us looking down from one of the rooms. She must have watched us all sit at the table together. I think she noticed me seeing her as she turned away and back into the room. 

"Hey, bat", Raphael says as I walk away. "This ain't no restaurant, come clear this bowl out."

* * *

I enter Splinter's study where I find him and Karai kneeling down next to each other. Karai is eating from a bowl full of noodles, but notices me from the corner of her eye. She finishes her current mouthful and places her chopsticks inside of the bowl, and places the bowl on the ground. I approach them as she refuses to look me in the eyes. 

"Thank you for agreeing to this, my friend", Splinter says to me. "There is much to be done, but so much more to be said before we can continue."

I managed to get a four hour nap in one of the vacant rooms the turtles have set up. I feel a little better, but I'm going to need a full night's rest before too long. After Donatello showed me what he found, Splinter all but demanded that I rest for a while if I intended to continue with this mission. When Splinter showed me to my room, he asked that when I awoke, to meet him in his study. I imagine that he knows of the connection between Karai and I. She believes I killed her brother, but he chose to let the volcano claim him all those years ago. 

"Of course, sensei", I say as I kneel down. 

"Karai and I have discussed many issues", Splinter starts. "But mostly about her lost brother."

I nod as Karai remains still. 

"We agree that there is much not known of her brother's death", he continues. "We wish to hear your side."

Karai, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. It's taking her a lot to be in my presence right now, and she appears to respect Splinter as much as I do. 

"The loss of my brother was crushing to me, Batman", she starts with her eyes closed. "I dedicated my whole life to the ways of the ninja as my brother had done. We were only separated by ten years in age, but he treated me as an equal from my first steps. We had no family, and he had raised me until I could wield a sword. He was more than a brother to me, but a father."

Her eyes remained closed, as water begins to build in her eyes. She does nothing to stop the single stream go down her cheek as she continues. 

"Because of a man, we were banished from our dojo", she continues. "He was there to train from America, a rich man named Wayne, and I remember him well. His lies cost my brother his honor, and we fled with Oroko Saki. For years, he spoke of vengeance, and he devised a way to reclaim his honor. That is, until you interfered."

She stops for a moment, then opens her eyes and sharply looks me in the eyes. 

"You were the protector of Wayne's city, Gotham", she says. "You saw Gotham's favorite son was threatened, and you acted accordingly to your duties. You succeeded in thwarting my brother from achieving his vengeance, and he was honorable enough to know his defeat by leaving Gotham and Wayne to rot."

Karai's emotion is gleaming at this moment. Her deepest feelings for her brother are obviously what drives her as a person. I wonder if her brother even bothered to reveal my identity to her.

"Then you show up in Japan to thwart my brother once again", she continues. "He chose to take his vengeance against the dojo that banished him instead of the man solely responsible. When he returned from Gotham, he had grown distant. He ordered me to remain with the Foot Clan as he left to gain his vengeance once and for all. The madness in his eyes, I can never forget his look. You changed him, and then you followed him here to finish him."

"I followed him here because he kidnapped the daughter of the man who trained me, who trained all of us."

She looks at me not knowing what to say, then a sudden realization took hold of her. From the corner of my eye, I see a slight smile on Splinter's face. 

"It's...not possible."

"I've dedicated my life to fight suffering and injustice, Karai", I begin as I deactivate the fail safes on my cowl. "The loss I took in my life drove me to do good in a world that is dying all around us. I have protected the innocent for years in a fight that I can't win, that I won't win, and a fight that will possibly claim my life in the end."

I move my hands up to my cowl, and push back revealing the familiar face she knew as a child. 

"Wayne...San..."

"Your brother knew who I was, what I was", I continue as Bruce Wayne. "His choices in life lead to his demise, Karai. He attempted to rob our dojo of its honor one night, and I unfortunately was the one who had to witness it. But I am NOT responsible for taking his life when I offer my own night after night to the innocent. I will not dishonor the memory of my family, or the ideals I devoted my life to. You remember those times when we spoke when you were young. I told you how my parents' death made me want to change the world. This is the best I can do, and I wouldn't waste everything I achieved, everything I promised to end the life of anyone."

She looks at me with a shock that begins to subside. I place my cowl back on and stand to my feet. She looks down at her knees as she now tends to the tears on her face. 

"My brother was not an evil man", she struggles to say. 

"His honor was too great to be an evil person, Karai", I say as Batman. "He made a mistake and was banished for it. Before he could decide to reach out to find good in this world, evil took advantage of him. He would be proud to know that very evil could not do the same to his beloved sister."

She doesn't move her face from facing the ground, but her voice is as clear as can be when she curses out her next word. 

"Saki."

* * *

I'm back on the rooftop of my hotel as the night sky takes hold. I was able to leave the turtles' lair earlier on without being seen and was able to change into a stash of clothes I left on a neighboring rooftop. I got back around four this afternoon and checked up with everyone back in Gotham, the Watchtower and the Metrotower. When I saw everything was in order, I allowed myself a shower and some more sleep. 

"You're late", I say as the turtles appear behind me. 

"We had chores to do, and we still had to sleep from last night", Raphael says. 

I turn around to see not just the turtles, but Casey Jones, Karai and two Foot ninja. Karai and Leonardo approach me and I meet them halfway. The air blows slightly tonight, just enough to give a comfortable coolness to the night. Everyone looks refreshed and ready for the night's duty. 

"There's nine of us", Leonardo starts. "Karai brought some...help."

"These two foot ninja are loyal to me, and not that fool Saki", she says. "Their skill are among the elite and are ready to reclaim the Foot Clan's honor."

The two ninja stand in attention as Karai motions to them. 

Donatello traced the origin of the signal back to Manhattan, directly underground. From where we're at, the point that Donatello zeroed on is roughly fifteen miles away. When we went over the information earlier, we determined the possibility that there would be more efficient Foot Soldiers waiting if there was an underground complex. 

"So, like, do you got a Batbus that's gonna take us over there?" Michelangelo says, prompting his brothers to sigh in unison. 

"No", I say. 

"Well the van is out of commission", Raphael says. "We gonna take a taxi or something?"

"Not exactly", I say as I raise my hand to my ear. "Ok, J'onn. Nine, to the coordinates I gave you."

"Hey, who's batnut talking to?" Raphael says as I bring my hand down. 

Karai looks me in the eye, this time with a different look on her face. 

"You go out of your way to bring good to this world, when you can sit comfortably away from it", she says to me. 

"It's who I am", I say as a light starts to engulf each one of us. 

"Whoa, dudes!" Michelangelo shouts. "Scotty's beaming us up!"

Karai's face now holds a smirk, looking at me with a comfortable confidence. 

"Your parents would be proud", she says as we all disappear from sight. 


End file.
